Cordero honored for commitment to advancement of women in mathematics

Tuesday, Jan 10, 2023 • Greg Pederson :

An administrator and professor of mathematics at The University of Texas at Arlington has been honored by a national organization for her outstanding commitment to and support of the advancement of women in the mathematical sciences.

 

Minerva Cordero, UTA interim vice provost for faculty affairs and distinguished university teaching professor, was named a member of the 2022 class of Fellows by the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM), an organization whose goal is to create a community in which women and girls can thrive in their mathematical endeavors.

 

AWM was created in 1971 by a small group of women who were passionate about mathematics, including Mary Gray, who served as the first AWM president. In the five decades since, it has become the leading national society for women in the mathematical sciences.

 

Cordero received the award during a ceremony on January 6 at the annual Joint Mathematics Meetings in Boston.

 

“I am delighted and honored to receive this recognition from the Association for Women in Mathematics,” Cordero said. “Throughout my academic career I have been an advocate, mentor, and champion for diversifying the mathematics community at all levels.”

 

Cordero has guided and nurtured individuals at different stages in their lives, from K-12 students and teachers to graduate and undergraduate students to junior faculty and early-career scientists and engineers, she said. Her focus has been on increasing the participation, inclusion, and success of individuals from populations underrepresented in STEM fields, mostly Hispanics, African Americans, and women.

 

She says she is grateful for the support that mentors provided for her along the way and is more than happy to pass that knowledge and encouragement on to others.

 

“I’m proud that the level of care for my students and mentees, my responsiveness to their cultural and sociological circumstances, and my outreach to broad community efforts, have resulted in fruitful relationships that have helped lead to their success,” Cordero said.

 

College of Science Dean Morteza Khaledi congratulated Cordero on the honor and noted that Cordero has been a staunch advocate for broader inclusion in science and mathematics throughout her career.

 

“It is wonderful to see Dr. Cordero being recognized by the Association for Women in Mathematics as a Fellow,” Khaledi said. “She has done so much throughout her career to see that more women and underrepresented groups are included in mathematics and STEM in general. It’s important for girls to be able to see women in positions of leadership in STEM fields, and Dr. Cordero is an excellent role model.”

 

Earlier this year, Cordero was one of just 12 recipients of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) from President Joe Biden. The national award recognizes the critical roles mentors play outside the traditional classroom in the academic and professional development of the future science and engineering workforce.

 

In 2020, Cordero was selected as an If/Then Ambassador by the American Association for the Advancement of Science in recognition of her significant academic outreach to girls and young women. The initiative, which highlights contemporary female innovators through an exhibition of 3D printed statues, has been touring U.S. cities for nearly two years. Its goal is to provide young women with female role models in STEM fields.

 

Cordero has led national and local programs that increase access to science and mathematics curricula. From 2018-19, she served as director for two programs at the National Science Foundation — one to support organizational change to achieve gender equity in STEM and the other to help improve undergraduate STEM education within Hispanic-Serving Institutions such as UTA. 

Throughout her tenure at UTA, she has spearheaded the development of inclusive mathematics organizations, such as the UTA chapter of the Association for Women in Mathematics and the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science.

 

Cordero noted that much work remains to be done in increasing participation by women and underrepresented groups in the mathematical sciences. At the Joint Mathematics Meetings in Boston last week, she spoke about her journey from her native Puerto Rico to graduate school at the University of California at Berkeley with financial assistance from a grant from the National Science Foundation.

 

“When I came to the United States, people looked at me because I have an accent, because I’m a woman, because I’m a Latina, and assumptions were made,” Cordero said. “That was very shocking for me.”

 

During the 1988-89 academic year, which is when Cordero completed her Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Iowa, a total of 904 doctoral degrees in mathematical sciences were awarded by U.S. institutions. Only 99 of them — 11 percent — were awarded to women who were U.S. citizens. Cordero was one of four Hispanic women nationwide to receive a Ph.D. in mathematics that year. 

 

In 2017-18, the most recent year for which data is available from the American Mathematical Society, 1,960 doctoral degrees in the mathematical sciences were awarded in the U.S., with 236 — 12 percent — going to female U.S. citizens. This included eight to Hispanic or Latina women, 15 to Black or African American women, and 20 to Asian women.

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